Canada’s Victoria Mboko and Leylah Fernandez have advanced to the second round of the women’s singles draw at the Hong Kong Open. Mboko, seeded third in the tournament, staged a comeback to defeat Talia Gibson of Australia 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-4 in a match that lasted one hour and 48 minutes on Tuesday. The 19-year-old from Toronto, who previously won the National Bank Open in Montreal, showcased an impressive performance with 19 aces and a conversion rate of four out of five break-point opportunities. She is set to face the victor of the first-round clash between Britain’s Katie Boulter and Alexandra Eala from the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the second-seeded Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, secured an easy 6-1, 6-4 win over Wang Xiyu of China in her opening match. She will now meet Germany’s Eva Lys in the second round.
In a separate event, Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime fought back from a set down to defeat Francisco Comesana from Argentina 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-3 at the Paris Masters tennis tournament, keeping his hopes alive for qualifying for the ATP Finals. Auger-Aliassime, seeded ninth, is now within 440 points of eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti in the ATP Race To Turin standings, where the top eight players earn a spot in the season-ending event in Italy.
Additionally, Gabriel Diallo from Montreal triumphed over Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands with a score of 6-3, 6-4, while Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ontario, fell to Joao Fonseca in a close match of 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Auger-Aliassime will next face Alexandre Muller, while Diallo is set to take on Alex de Minaur from Australia in the upcoming round.
In the realm of women’s tennis, Valerie Camillo has been appointed as the new chair of the WTA Tour and WTA Ventures, succeeding Steve Simon, who is retiring. Camillo, set to commence her role on November 17, expressed her honor and excitement to lead the world’s top women’s sport during a crucial period. With a robust background in sports and entertainment management, Camillo is poised to steer women’s professional tennis through pivotal decisions that will shape its future for players, tournaments, fans, and partners.